NEW DELHI: Nine million people globally still lack access to life-saving HIV treatment, even as new infections continue to rise in several regions, the WHO said.
This is despite by the end of 2025, an estimated 32 million people living with HIV were receiving treatment and since 2010, new HIV infections have fallen by 42% and AIDS-related deaths by 57%, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said, as it launched a new report assessing progress in implementing the Global Health Sector Strategies (GHSS) on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for 2022–2030.
It added that new infections continue to be reported among key populations including men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who inject drugs, transgender people and people in prisons.
"This report tells two stories. It demonstrates what is possible when countries invest in health, communities and science. But it also shows how quickly progress can be undone with funding disruptions, humanitarian emergencies and persistent inequalities,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“Over the next five years, we must build integrated, resilient health systems that reach those furthest behind."
Progress has also been made in the response to viral hepatitis. Since 2015, annual hepatitis B infections have decreased by 32%, and hepatitis C-related deaths have fallen by 12% globally.
Despite these gains, viral hepatitis remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, claiming an estimated 1.3 million lives in 2024, with mortality continuing to rise.
The report said that 10 countries which registered the largest absolute number of Hepatitis C Virus-related deaths were China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, South Africa, the US and Vietnam.
Collectively, they accounted for 58% of global HCV‑related deaths.
It also said that ten countries account for 69% of global Hepatitis B (HBV)‑related deaths.
These are Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa and Vietnam.
Many of these countries have a large cohort of adults with long‑standing chronic infection acquired early in life, and limited access to diagnosis and treatment, it said.
It also pointed out that progress in the global response to STIs has been mixed.
Countries have strengthened national policies and improved syphilis screening and treatment in pregnancy, while HPV vaccination coverage has increased modestly.
At the same time, STI rates are rising in several countries and communities, while there is growing resistance to antibiotics used to treat gonorrhoea.
Despite progress, major gaps continue to hinder efforts to eliminate HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs by 2030, it pointed out.
For HIV, reductions in international donor funding in 2025 disrupted prevention programmes in several countries, including access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Although some governments have stepped in to sustain services, preliminary data indicate that PrEP use has declined in a number of countries and communities.
For viral hepatitis, deaths linked to hepatitis B have increased by 17% since 2015. Diagnosis and treatment coverage remain low, particularly for hepatitis B, despite the availability of highly effective medicines that could prevent millions of deaths.
The report identifies integration as one of the greatest opportunities to accelerate progress.
Countries reporting the strongest results are increasingly delivering services for HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs through primary health care, together with services for tuberculosis, sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health and noncommunicable diseases.
Eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B remains a key priority.
Encouragingly, a growing number of countries are applying for WHO validation of elimination, demonstrating that success is within reach when integrated maternal and child health services are strengthened, the global health body said.
Further gains can be achieved by expanding digital health solutions, strengthening interoperable surveillance and health information systems, scaling up multi-disease testing platforms and ensuring equitable access to innovations.
These include improved diagnostics, quality-assured STI testing and long-acting prevention technologies such as WHO-recommended twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir.
Lenacapavir is now being introduced in 10 countries and rollout is planned in a further 14. WHO's recommendation on doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxycycline PEP) also offers a promising new opportunity to reduce bacterial STIs among populations at substantial risk.
"Strengthening community leadership and embedding community-generated data into national monitoring systems can improve accountability, inform programme improvements and help ensure services reach those who are most often left behind," it said.
